ELC Blog

The 2014 ELC team out to dinner while in Indianapolis for their end of the year meeting.

As the academic year is coming to a close for many of the schools we have visited, our year as ELCs is also coming to an end. While some of us are saying goodbye for good to the ELC program, there are still some that will be returning for a second year and you may be wondering-what do ELCs do over the summer? Well, the work is not over! I, along with my fellow ELC, Ashley, will be working as interns for a month at headquarters this summer helping with special projects and preparing for summer training in July. Some of our other returning co-workers have summer jobs, are visiting friends and loved ones around the country, or just spending quality time at home this next month leading up to Grand Convention.

Speaking of Grand Convention, this summer is a very exciting year to be an ELC! One of the perks of this position is being able to help out at Grand Convention in Orlando, FL at the end of June and see the behind the scenes work that goes into pulling off this large scale and very Thetatastic event. For many of the returning ELCs this will be our second Grand Convention that we will have attended in our time as members of Kappa Alpha Theta. But for many of our incoming ELCs and even some who are returning this will be their very first Grand Convention! Although we will be working during Grand Convention, please make sure to stop and say hi!

Another big part of the ELC summer schedule is our training that takes place for most of July and part of August. During training, the new ELC team for the upcoming year lives together in Indianapolis and spends most days at headquarters learning about various aspects of Theta and welcome visitors who help facilitate team building activities. I fondly remember training last year as a wonderful welcome onto the ELC team and cherish so many memories from last summer getting to know everyone on the team!

At the close of our summer, we will begin making chapter recruitment visits in August and prepare for a new school year, whether that means moving to a new city in which we are establishing a new chapter, providing second year support or getting ready to embark on a semester full of traveling.

Although an ELC summer is quite busy it is also full of new experiences and many memories to be made! While I am sad and somewhat in shock that my first year as an ELC is already over, I am excited to see what this summer holds!

There's something about spring that is incredibly uplifting. The dark, grey, and chilly months are mostly over and birds can finally be heard chirping on crisp spring mornings. I typically don't even realize how much I missed spring until I walk outside and for the first time in months feel the warmth of sunshine on my face or see green flower buds popping out of the ground. College universities are once again filled with students congregating outside on picnic tables and on green grassy lawn areas around campus. Even April showers are welcomed with open arms because we all know May flowers are right around the corner.

Not only is this spring especially exciting because the past winter was packed with record-breaking temperatures and snow accumulations, but it is the first spring since 2012 in which the Kappa Alpha Theta Pansy Patch is back in bloom! The Pansy Patch is a virtual garden where pansies can be purchased in honor of inspirational Thetas. Anyone can buy a pansy as a thoughtful gift for a Theta in their life by going to www.pansypatch.org and donating just five dollars.

Theta sisters who receive pansies get an email with a virtual representation of the pansy in which they received. The Pansy Patch then culminates into a visual reality at Grand Convention. Whether the most influential Theta in your life is going to Grand Convention or not, purchasing a pansy in her honor tangibly proliferates her impact and the impact of Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation.

All funds raised from the Pansy Patch go to Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation to keep educational and leadership programs for the Fraternity going strong. Theta Foundation supports the Educational Leadership Council program in addition to providing educational and leadership grants and scholarships for Thetas of all ages. Additionally, Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation paves the way among Panhellenic organizations by supporting mental health initiatives such as Sisters Supporting Sisters.

When I opened my email the day the Pansy Patch opened and saw that one of my sweet sisters from my alma mater purchased a pansy in my honor, my heart was immediately filled with Theta love. We have both been so busy over the past few months that we haven't been able to talk much. However, getting that gift from her and knowing it would help impact the Fraternity we both hold so dear, meant much more than words.

Who is an inspirational Theta in your life who deserves a pansy to represent your love and thought for her?

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